Request for consultation

Thanks for your request. You’ll soon be chatting with a consultant to get the answers you need.
Your form is submitting...
{{formPostErrorMessage.message}} [{{formPostErrorMessage.code}}]
Email Address is required. 'Email Address' must contain at least 0 characters 'Email Address' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Email Address
First Name is required. 'First Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'First Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid First Name
Last Name is required. 'Last Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'Last Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Last Name
Institution is required.
Discipline is required.
Country is required. 'Country' must contain at least 0 characters 'Country' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Country
Cengage, at your service! How can we best meet your needs? is required.
Why are you contacting us today? is required. 'Why are you contacting us today?' must contain at least 0 characters 'Why are you contacting us today?' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Why are you contacting us today?

Understanding Food: Principles & Preparation, 7th Edition

Amy Christine Brown

  • Copyright 2025
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2024-03-22T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At £45.00 See pricing and ISBN options
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now
Understanding Food: Principles & Preparation 7th Edition by Amy Christine Brown
Quick Navigation

Overview

Brown's UNDERSTANDING FOOD: PRINCIPLES AND PREPARATION, 7th Edition, has been a best-selling food fundamentals title for over 25 years. It takes the undergraduate student on a comprehensive journey through the science of food, covering the core content of three important fields -- nutrition science, food science and food service -- helping students to choose a career in the industry. Contemporary and comprehensive, the seventh edition discusses classification, composition, selection, purchasing and storage for a range of foods, and explores various aspects of food service, including food preparation, meal planning, equipment, food preservation and government regulations. This edition is available with an updated MindTap course, Cengage’s digital teaching and learning platform, that powers students from memorization to mastery.

{{readMore['overview'] ? 'Read More' : 'Read Less'}}

Meet the Authors

{{collapseContainerClosed['meet-the-author'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Amy Christine Brown

Amy Christine Brown received her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1986 in the field of Human Nutrition and Foods. She has been a college professor and a registered dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics since 1986. Dr. Brown currently teaches at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences. Her research interests are in the area of bioactive plant substances beneficial to health and medical nutrition therapy. Some of the studies she has conducted include "Diet and Crohn's Disease," "Potentially Harmful Herbal Supplements," "Kava Beverage Consumption and the Effect on Liver Function Tests" and "The Effectiveness of Kukui Nut Oil in Treating Psoriasis." Selected research journal publications include: "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Functional Foods" ("Journal of the American Dietetic Association" ); "The Hawaii Diet: Ad Libitum High Carbohydrate, Low Fat Multi-Cultural Diet For the Reduction of Chronic Disease Risk Factors" ("Hawaii Medical Journal"); "Lupus Rrythematosus and Nutrition: A Review" ("Journal of Renal Nutrition"); "Dietary Survey of Hopi Elementary School Students" ("Journal of the American Dietetic Association"); "Serum Cholesterol Levels of Non-Diabetic and Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rats" ("Artery"); "Infant Feeding Practices of Migrant Farm Laborers in Northern Colorado" ("Journal of the American Dietetic Association"); "Body Mass Index and Perceived Weight Status in Young Adults" ("Journal of Community Health"); "Dietary Intake and Body Composition of Mike Pigg—1988 Triathlete of the Year" ("Clinical Sports Medicine") and numerous newspaper nutrition columns.

What's New

{{collapseContainerClosed['whats-new'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
  • NEW Videos illustrate food principles and preparation.
  • Coverage is updated to include plant-based diets and food options.
  • New updates reflect the Dietary Guidelines, 2020–2025.
  • NEW Appendix includes Food Chemistry Composition Basics.
  • NEW Culinary Math feature has been added for menu, measurement and conversion techniques.
  • NEW professional kitchen and food preparation equipment has been added, explained and illustrated with photos.

Features

{{collapseContainerClosed['features'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
  • Designs have been updated with full color images throughout, with an emphasis on updated photos of kitchen equipment. A rich design appeals to today's learners, adds impact to the book's charts and graphs and makes the information clearer and more engaging.
  • Problems and causes tables summarize the problems that may occur when preparing specific food products and describe the possible causes, providing students with a handy reference tool for deciphering "what went wrong."
  • Pictorial summaries: A proven favorite with readers, the Pictorial Summaries features close out each chapter with a combination of art and narrative text to encapsulate the key concepts for student review.
  • Chapter review questions help students prepare for both their class exams and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics registration examination.

Table of Contents

{{collapseContainerClosed['table-of-contents'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
PART I FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
1 Food Selection
2 Food Evaluation
3 Chemistry of Food Composition
PART II FOOD SERVICE
4 Food Safety
5 Meal Management
6 Food Preparation Basics
PART III FOODS PROTEIN—MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, DAIRY, & EGGS
7 Meat
8 Poultry
9 Fish and Shellfish
10 Milk
11 Cheese
12 Eggs
PHYTOCHEMICALS— VEGETABLES, FRUITS, SOUPS, & SALADS
13 Vegetables and Legumes
14 Fruits
15 Soups, Salads, and Gelatins
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES— CEREALS, FLOUR, BREADS
16 Starches and Sauces
17 Cereal, Grains, and Pastas
18 Flours and Flour Mixtures
19 Quick Breads
20 Yeast Breads
DESSERTS—REFINED CARBOHYDRATES & FAT
21 Sweeteners
22 Fats and Oils
23 Cakes and Cookies
24 Pastries and Pies
25 Candy
26 Frozen Desserts
WATER—BEVERAGES
27 Beverages
PART IV FOOD INDUSTRY
28 Food Preservation
29 Government Food Regulations
30 Careers in Food and Nutrition

Compare Buying Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['compare-buying-options'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

MindTap Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['detail_1'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
MindTap
Each MindTap product offers the full, mobile-ready textbook combined with superior and proven learning tools at one affordable price. Students who purchase digital access can add a print option at any time when a print option is available for their course.

This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Standalone Digital Access — Ultimate Value

Recommended and most popular

  • ISBN-10: 8214464692
  • ISBN-13: 9798214464695
  • RETAIL £45.00

  • ISBN-10:
  • ISBN-13: 9798214480978
  • RETAIL £45.00
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['detail_0'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

  • ISBN-10: 0357974247
  • ISBN-13: 9780357974247
  • RETAIL £51.50

  • ISBN-10: 035797414X
  • ISBN-13: 9780357974148
  • RETAIL £77.99
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Supplements

{{collapseContainerClosed['supplements'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR STUDENTS

International MindTap Instant Access for Brown's Understanding Food: Principles & Preparation

ISBN: 9798214464695
International MindTap Instant Access for Brown's UNDERSTANDING FOOD: PRINCIPLES AND PREPARATION, 7th Edition, is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every individual and build their confidence. Empower students to accelerate their progress with MindTap. MindTap: Powered by You. International MindTap Instant Access for Brown's UNDERSTANDING FOOD: PRINCIPLES AND PREPARATION, 7th Edition, gives you complete ownership of your content and learning experience. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material or notes in the eBook. MindTap's Diet and Wellness Plus app enables students to track diet and activities, generate reports and gain a better understanding of how nutrition and lifestyle choices relate to personal health goals. All online text media materials accessible through this access code are available in EMEA, Latin America, Asia, and India only.

International MindTap Instant Access for Brown's Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation with Lab Manual

ISBN: 9798214480978
International MindTap Instant Access for Brown's Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation with Lab Manual ,is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course--to provide engaging content, to challenge every individual, and to build their confidence. Empower students to accelerate their progress with MindTap. MindTap: Powered by You. MindTap gives you complete ownership of your content and learning experience. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics, and add your own material or notes in the eBook. All online text media materials accessible through this access code are available in EMEA, Latin America, Asia, and India only.